Breakfast Casserole

This recipe was posted by the Sankofa Farmers Market on the NOLA Locavore site under for the week of June 11th. The full recipe is below, but I just made half of it, which is still a lot for just two people. I think the leftover wedges will be good for breakfast for the week.

Breakfast Casserole
adapted from Sankofa Farmers Market
Ingredients
18 eggs (HG)
2-3 Tbs cream, half and half, or milk (Smith Creamery)
1 lb mushroom, washed and sliced (HG)
1 leek, sliced and halved (not in the original, but I had a leek, so I added it) (HG)
1 Tbs olive oil (TX)
2 C crumbled goat cheese (Ryal's) (called for feta)
salt and pepper to taste (I added a little more salt since I wasn't using feta, no pepper)

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Grease 9x13 casserole dish with butter or oil
3.  Saute mushrooms and leeks in olive oil until they are softened but not completely cooked, about 5 minutes.
4.  Drain mushrooms and leeks if there is liquid in the pan, then spread evenly over the bottom of the casserole dish.
5.  Crumble feta (goat cheese) over mushrooms and leeks.
6.  Beat eggs with cream, salt (and pepper - I didn't use any pepper)
7.  Pour egg mixture over mushrooms, leeks, and cheese, then stir with a fork to make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed in the egg mixture.
8.  Bake 45 minutes, or until eggs are set and top is starting to brown.
Serves 8-10

I over-cooked it a little, but it was still very tasty. I highly recommend it. I used a round. ceramic casserole, so served them in wedges.

Cornbread

Tomato Basil Cornbread
adapted from 125 Best Quick Bread Recipes, by Washburn and Butt
Ingredients
3/4 C corn flour (called for all-purpose)
1/2 C cornmeal
2 Tbs granulated sugar
2 Tbs + 1/8 tsp baking powder (my new method to adjust to switching to corn flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C snipped fresh basil (from my back yard)
1/4 C olive oil
4 eggs
1 C chopped arugula (called for spinach)
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 Tbs minced leek
(all produce from Hollygrove)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.
Makes 9 3-inch square pieces
1.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and basil.
2.  In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat oil and eggs until combined. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in arugula, tomatoes and leeks. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot.

The verdict? YUM! Big, fat, delicious, no-question, yum. They are good warm, right out of the oven, but just a delicious the morning after with a bit of butter. The only thing not local is the baking powder, which is allowed under my interpretation of the Bienville Rule.

Brown Rice Crackers

My first total failure of the month (not bad for a rookie that I can make it 18 days before my first inedible bomb). I will try them again, because there was some user error in the process. When the timer rang and I checked on them the last time, I closed the over door, turned off the oven, then promptly forgot to take the baking sheet and the crackers out of the oven as I busied myself with other kitchen tasks. They sat in the oven for another 30-40 minutes after I turned the oven off. I am guessing that is why they were turned into greasy little tooth-shattering, cement-like wafers.
I'll share the recipe anyway, because they definitely have the potential to be good. I have been pining away for crackers; I hadn't realized the extent of my cracker problem until I tried to go without.

Brown Rice Crackers
adapted from Cathe Olson recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 C Papa Tom's white rice flour (CCFM) (called for brown rice flour)
2/3 C cooked brown rice (HG)
1 Tbs flax seeds (optional - I opted not to)
1/4 tsp sea salt (needs a little more)
1/4 C oil (I used pecan)
1/3 to 1/2 C water

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil large baking sheet. In bowl or food processor, mix flour, rice, fax seeds, salt and oil until combined. Add water a little at a time until dough holds together. Pour onto floured surface and knead a few times to form a ball. Press or roll dough on baking sheet. Score into 1 1/2-inch squares. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown. Cool before removed from pan.
Makes about 3 dozen.

Zucchini Canoes

Got a boat load of zucchini? Make them into tasty canoes.
Zuccanoes (stuffed zucchini)
adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini (Hollygrove)
1-2 Tbs olive oil (TX) [probably just as good with pecan oil]
1 1/2 C minced onion (Rouse's)
1 tsp salt (Avery Island)
1/2 lb mushrooms, minced (Hollygrove)
6 medium cloves garlic (MidCity FM)
1 1/2 C cooked rice (Hollygorve)
1 1/2 C minced pecans, lightly toasted (Bergeron's) [we didn't toast]
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice (Becnel's, Belle Chasse)
black pepper and cayenne, to taste (we left this out)
a few pinches of freshly minced or dried herbs (mostly from my friend Terry's yard):
  any combo of parsley, basil, dill, thyme, or marjoram [we used rosemary, thyme, sage and another small unidentified leaf]
1 C packed grated Ryals' goat cheddar cheese (St. James Cheesery)

Directions
1.  Cut the zucchini lengthwise down the middle. Use a smallish spoon to scoop out the insides, leaving a canoe with a 1/4 inch shell. Mince the insides, and set everything aside.
2.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and salt, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft (5 - 8 minutes).
3.  Add the minced zucchini innards and the mushrooms. Turn up the heat and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring, letting the liquid evaporate. Stir in the garlic and remove from heat.
4. Stir in the rice and nuts, along with the lemon juice, and season to taste with black pepper, cayenne, and the herbs of your choice.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Fill the zucchini shells, top with the grated cheese and bake on a cookie sheet for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through. Serve hot. Optional: serve with a vegetable puree (4 options to choose from in the Moosewood Cookbook).
Serves 4 to 6
About 1 1/ 4 hours to prepare (including baking)

This is very tasty, but fairly simple; no wow factor. The goat cheese cheddar does not act the same as your average cheddar, so it may be better to add the cheese in with the rice and mushroom mixture before baking, rather than on top only. We also recommend more mushrooms; there wasn't quite enough mushroom flavor. The pecans add a nice crunch element, even though we didn't toast them; it probably would have been an more pronounced flavor had we roasted the nuts before adding them.
I proclaim it wholesomely delicious! And I have a half a boat left over for tomorrow.

Scavenger Hunt for Ingredients

I went to the Becnel Farmer's Market (it goes by various names) in Belle Chasse on Monday because I heard they had local oranges and locally made juices and I was hoping for some peaches. I miss a lot since I work Saturday mornings. They don't carry peaches because they require refrigeration. However, one of their 2 refrigerators is full of locally-made sausages of many varieties and flavors.
They did not have any juices and they did not have any local oranges or Valencia oranges. They did have what the woman told me were local lemons. They had no tag claiming they were from anywhere else, so I took her for her word and bought 6 of them. I brought them home and squeezed the juice into an old plastic ice tray; 5 lemons = 12 mini cubes of frozen lemon juice. Not having any immediate need for the rinds, I composted them. I saved one lemon for zesting or other needs, just in case.
How does one figure out the labelling on produce? All the other produce at this market had a tag proclaiming its origins: avocados from Mexico, oranges from Florida, bananas from South America. The lemons, watermelons and creole tomatoes had no little sticky tags, no identifying markers. I encountered the same thing at Dorignac's tonight. I had heard through the locavore grapevine that the Valencia oranges at Dorignac's were within our 200-mile radius. The sign said Produce of the USA, but there was no little sticky tag on each piece of fruit; same with the lemons. Are there laws that regulate these tags? Does no tag mean locally-sourced? I have no idea. I didn't buy any produce at Dorignac's because I couldn't verify the origins.
But I did finally find Steen's Cane Vinegar thanks to a diligent Dorignac's employee who walked me through the oil and vinegar and specialty aisles before flagging down a stock person who honed right in on it. Our arugula salad tonight appreciated it.
I loved the market in Belle Chasse and recommend the 20-minute trip to get there. It is on Belle Chasse Highway (Louisiana 23) across from the Naval Air Station and the blue angel plane in perpetual flight. Apart from fresh local and not-so-local produce, they have a plethora of sauces and dressings and other concoctions (including tamales kept warm behind the counter). I got a jar of sweet potato pecan butter (origins of ingredients unknown, but it is locally produced) and peach butter (ditto). The staff is very friendly and the market was overflowing with local watermelons and creole tomatoes. But what will make me go back are the 5-7 foot citrus trees of various types for sale: kumquats, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits. They look healthy and full and are already producing citrus. My yard needs a couple.
It was a great trip. I recommend an adventure down to the parish for some citrus trees. After June you can stop at one of the hole-in-the-wall cajun seafood restaurants for a locally cooked treat.

Best Sandwich Ever!

OK. First. I have a lifelong tendency for exaggeration and am frequently super excited about whatever new thing I have encountered that particular moment. Today that thing is the sandwich I brought with me to work today.

To wit, the Arugula Cherry Tomato Goat Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices local whole wheat or other dense, nutty bread
Ryal's goat cheese
halved tiny yellow cherry tomatoes (Hollygrove)
arugula (Hollygrove)
smattering of other greens (Hollygrove)
dash Avery Island salt

Directions
Make a sandwich with goat cheese on both slices and put mostly arugula, but a few other purple and green sprigs in as large a pile as will fit on one slice of bread. Arrange tomato halves on the other slice. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt.
Wrap in wax paper and keep in the work fridge until 12:30.
Enjoy!
So simple and so fantastic. It might truly be, without exaggeration, the best sandwich I have ever made, and certainly the best I have ever eaten at my desk.

Another Sunday of cooking

I am managing to acquire more local staples, so have a wider range of possibilities now and am able to be follow the challenge more strictly. I picked up polenta, grits, corn meal and corn flour at the Locavore swap meet on Saturday (I had nothing to swap, but if there is another one, I might), so have moved on to baking. Yesterday's adventure, Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins that I made into mini loaves instead (again with a dried spice cheat, as well as non-local baking soda and baking powder). Not being a regular chef, I am not entirely sure how substitutions will affect the outcomes of the recipes I find, so I am winging it and hoping for the best. So far we haven't had to toss any of my creations, which I think is a success. Not all of my concoctions have been successes, mind you, but we have eaten all of them anyway (the garlic applesauce comes to mind, but it was later cured with spinach, water and salt).

Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins (or Mini-Loaves)
(adapted from crescent city farmers market cookbook, compiled by Poppy Tooker)
Ingredients
2 C mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1 1/2 C sugar
1/4 C pecan oil
1/4 C olive oil (TX)
1/2 C water
3 C corn flour (called for wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger (called for cloves, but I wanted it to be a little less sweet potato pie)
1/4 nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (I added a little more salt than this as I didn't want it to be too sweet)
2 C chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or mini loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, sugar, oil, and water; mix well. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well blended. Stir in pecans. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups or loaf pans. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes for muffins, 25 to 30 for mini loaves, or until a skewer inserted into the muffins comes out dry.
Makes 18 muffins.

My husband loves the flavor, but as mini-loaves, these are very dense and just a little bit grainy, I assume from the switch to corn flour. I had a couple of mini-slices for breakfast this morning with our fabulous SMith Creamery butter and they were delicious! I am counting this as a success. As I learn more about substituting ingredients I will adjust as necessary.

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
(adapted from www.cooks.com recipe for cantaloupe - papaya - peach soup)
Ingredients
2 large ripe cantaloupes; peeled, seeded, and chopped (Hollygrove)
1 nectarine; chopped (Hollygorve)
2 peaches; pitted, skinned, and chopped (CCFM)
1/3 to 1/2 C plain yogurt (called for non-fat) (Ryal's)
1 Tbs honey (local, from Rouse's)
mint sprigs for garnish (back yard)
blueberries (optional) (Hollygrove)

Directions
Place fruit in food processor or blender until smooth. Add yogurt and honey; process mixture until it is smooth and well-combined. Transfer soup to large bowl or other container, cover and refrigerate until well-chilled, about an hour. Serve soup in crystal stem desserts (I didn't do this, because I don't have these, but I did chill the large glass ramekins I served it in). Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.
Serves 6-8

My husband added blueberries to the bottom of the bowl. I tried it, but preferred it without the berries. It is very smooth and light and tasty, not to mention fast and simple. The original recipe called for nutmeg, which I left out to make it 100% local, but I didn't miss it at all. I am very pleased with this one.

Muses on the locavore challenge - Day 10

There were times this week when I contemplated downgrading my membership to the Wild Card division from the Bienville Rule I signed up for. This challenge is a lot harder than I imagined. My husband and I, as a matter of course, intentionally try to shop locally and invest in the local economy. I have long been an advocate of voting with my dollars, be it for public transportation by taking the bus or through shopping at small local businesses or supporting local artists at local and regional festivals.
I had no idea this locavore challenge would be so difficult. Part of the challenge for me is that I have a regular job, so I have a hard time making it to the local markets, which are generally open during standard business hours, or they are cleaned out by the time I can get there. (I volunteer Saturday mornings at the HNOC, so the CCFM is out; but I am going to investigate the refrigeration options there).
As I followed the rules more strictly at the beginning, I found myself starving most of the day. The strawberry and blueberry soup didn't cure hunger; the pureed squash and apple soup (dubbed "garlic applesauce by my spouse) was OK, but didn't really cure hunger. Nothing I ate seemed substantial. We couldn't get to the markets early enough to procure the goat cheeses and the yogurt and the other substantial proteins from local sources. My husband came back from one market saying, "the locavores have descended like a plague of locusts!" He meant that in the kindest possible way, I'm sure, but our standard practices and regular schedules were not going to work if we were going to stick to the locavore way for an entire month.
On Thursday, I broke down and went to Kyoto. I couldn't take it any longer. I didn't even inquire about the origins of their seafood, I just ordered the Rainbow Hot Box and enjoyed every bite of it!

Fantastic Okra recipe

I have had trouble with the sliminess of okra in the past; it has never been my favorite vegetable. I have tolerated it in gumbos, or eaten around it when it was too slimy. Then a pound of okra appeared as a part of the Holly Grove weekly allotment at the beginning of this challenge. In times past, the Holly Grove okra has gone to my sister-in-law or to my mother-in-law, who are from the South, so must know what to do with it.
Not this time. I did my okra homework and found a recipe with rave reviews that was easy and fast and simple. To wit (with a spice cheat):
Easy Indian Style Okra
from allrecipes.com, submitted by Caligal76

Ingredients
3 T butter (Smsith's Creamery)
1 medium onion (Rouse's)
1 pound sliced fresh okra (not sliced in wheels, but diagonally) (HG)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (I used white, because we didn't have black)
salt to taste

Directions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the okra, and season with the spices.
Cook and stir for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover.
Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until okra is tender.

It was really delicious in an uncomplicated way. My husband raved, I was amazed at how much I liked it and it wasn't even a little bit slimy. I served it with local rice and an arugula salad with pecans and blueberries (dressing: pecan and olive oil with white balsamic vinegar [cheat], honey, and salt). My husband may never cook again. This experiment could ruin my cover.

Lunch prep

For the week ahead, I also made soup to take to work with me. A roasted squash and apple soup. More to come later on that soup; sadly it has the consistency of applesauce and pretty much tastes like applesauce with onions and garlic. It needs some work.
I would like to express and clarify that I don't cook. I just don't cook, never have. Today has been extraordinary. I made a fruit soup, a squash soup, a salad, and some roasted pepitas, the seeds from the largest of the squashes in the soup. This is unprecedented, as I simply don't cook and I certainly don't cook this much in one day.
I have been feeding myself for years, but more in the genre of grazing than actually cooking. I can bake; I learned to bake at an early age and can whip out a batch of cookies and a couple of loaves of something during the holiday season, but I can say for certain that I have never cooked this much in a single day. My husband of 3 years has never seen me cook this much in a day, or a week or even a month. I make the occasional juevos rancheros and I can grill vegetables and make a mean veggie stir fry (two decades of being a vegetarian honed that skill), I just usually choose not to. Luckily, I married a man who enjoys cooking or we would be eating carrot sticks and hummus most nights.
Stay tuned for evolution of Sara in the kitchen.

Sunday, June 4th

Breakfast
omlete: 2 eggs (Holly Grove [HG]), spinach (grandfathered)
2 pieces gluten-free toast (grandfathered)
decaf coffee (Community, from Rouse's; allowed under the Bienville Rule)

Lunch (late lunch, so technically a snack)
Chilled Berry Soup
(adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen)
3 C water (called for orange juice, but I didn't have any local)
3 C half and half (Smith's Creamery) (called for buttermilk or yogurt; couldn't find local versions at Rouse's on a Sunday) [I don't recommend using half and half - it messes with the consistency - too thin]
Juice from half a lime (Rouse's, Mexico)
1 Tbs. sugar (Rouse's Best Yet)
1 pint strawberries (HG)
1 pint blueberries (HG)
mint sprigs

Blend water, half and half, lime juice, strawberries, sugar and half of the blueberries on puree (or less if you prefer a chunkier soup). It will likely take several turns in the blender. Chill the blended mixture.  When ready to serve, put a small hand full of blueberries in the bottom of the bowl and cover with the chilled soup. Garnish with mint sprigs. (my husband opted to sprinkle cinnamon on his).
Great on a hot New Orleans afternoon.

Dinner
Venison and pecan salad
Mixed greens (HG)
Pecans (Bergeron's from Rouse's)
venison strips (killed by my father-in-law in KY; not sure if it counts. it had to get on a plane to get here, but my husband and father-in-law were with it)
Dressing: pecan oil, Pitot House pepper vinegar, sugar, soy sauce (standard; not local)

Accompanied by: Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale (Kiln, MS, Rouse's) and Rouge Militaire (red wine) from Pontchartrain Vineyards, Covington, LA. The wine is excellent and the beer is sublime.

Others who are blogging

There are various participants who are posting recipes, successes, failures and musings on this scavenger hunt for ingredients and challenge to create meals.

http://nolavore.tumblr.com/

http://aryannagamble.blogspot.com/search/label/eat%20local

http://www.emerils.com/cooking-blog/

http://hamstead.net/bess_eats/

I will borrow liberally, I feel sure.

The first few days

There are three levels of participation: the Ultrastrict, the Bienville Rule, and the Wild Card. We have opted for the Bienville level, which allows for minor exceptions for items that cannot or do not grow in this region (like coffee, tea, baking soda).
The first couple of days, due to our poor planning, we have also had to grandfather in some other perishables that won't last the month like apples, spinach, bananas, and a little left over chocolate mousse. I don't believe the spirit of the challenge is to waste perfectly good food, so we have made the choice to use them until they are gone.

See the official site for more information on the various levels, as well as recipes using our local ingredients and a resource guide on where to find local goods.

http://www.nolalocavore.org/eat-local-challenge-2011/